If you have been putting off applying for your voter card, you can now do so online, by November 10. The Election Commission of India has made the process as simple as a few clicks of the mouse (see box).

In order to woo young voters to the polling booth and to generate awareness, a Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation Plan (SVEEP) activity was conducted last week in the heart of Sector V. Aimed at young students and IT professionals, the two-day drive, organised by the state election commission and the sub-divisional office, was attended by North 24-Parganas district magistrate Sanjay Bansal, sub-divisional officer (SDO) Pawan Kadyan and other senior officials.

“The applications may be made online. Booth-level officers will then visit each address to check and verify the required documents,” Kadyan said.

Held on October 28 and 29, the awareness programmes were held at Institute of Engineering and Management, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Wipro and Techno India.

“The motive was to generate awareness among the youth and to improve the enrolment ratio of voters,” said the SDO.

Keeping in mind that most working professionals and students shy away from the time-consuming process that applying for a voter card is perceived to be, a detailed demonstration of online registration was given at each of the programmes. Approximately 600 people took part.

“This activity not only benefited the residents who attended the programmes but also people who stay outside the township and come here to work or to study,” Kadyan said.